Hey, I have a question regarding a paragraph in the Ultimate Diet 2.0.

Basically, I’m wondering if someone who is naturally lean (say around 10-12%BF), bulked up to around 15%, then decided they wanted to bulk further. However, they were advised that if they first cut down to 10% or below, this would allow them to bulk more efficiently.

Essentially the logic was a lower bodyfat percentage would mean more muscle gained per kg of weight gain in the bulk. In the Ultimate Diet 2, you state:

“So what else controls the P-ratio? As it turns out, the primary predictor of P-ratio during over and underfeeding is body fat percentage. The more body fat you carry, the more fat you tend to lose when you diet (meaning less muscle loss) and the leaner you are, the less fat you tend to lose (meaning more muscle loss).
The same goes in reverse: naturally lean (but not folks who have dieted down) individuals tend to gain more muscle and less fat when they overfeed and fatter individuals tend to gain more fat and less muscle when they overfeed.”

The sentence "(but not folks who have dieted down)" seems to imply that if you self-manipulate bodyfat percentage then somehow this doesn’t work?

Would you be able to clarify if self-manipulated bodyfat percentage has an effect on the muscle/fat gain ratio?

It's more this: someone who is naturally at 12% vs. someone who has dieted down from 18 to 12% are in very different metabolic states as the act of dieting itself in the second situation will change the physiology to be aimed more at fat gain. The first will not and I doubt that 12% to 10% would be an enormous effect.

It's more this: someone who is naturally at 12% vs. someone who has dieted down from 18 to 12% are in very different metabolic states as the act of dieting itself in the second situation will change the physiology to be aimed more at fat gain. The first will not and I doubt that 12% to 10% would be an enormous effect.

Is there a point of diminishing returns for leanness and p ratio? Eg we can safely say someone at 10% will put on more muscle than fat in a gaining phase. Is 8% better? Etc

Is there a point of diminishing returns for leanness and p ratio? Eg we can safely say someone at 10% will put on more muscle than fat in a gaining phase. Is 8% better? Etc

When you start to think 8% vs 10%, that's a matter of a lb or two so I really doubt there would be much difference. I think the 10% recommendation is mainly because dieting below that hurts performance and lends itself to muscle loss. So maybe you would gain slightly more muscle when coming back up from 8%, but you would also lose significantly more than that dieting down to 8%.

When you start to think 8% vs 10%, that's a matter of a lb or two so I really doubt there would be much difference. I think the 10% recommendation is mainly because dieting below that hurts performance and lends itself to muscle loss. So maybe you would gain slightly more muscle when coming back up from 8%, but you would also lose significantly more than that dieting down to 8%.

So what you're saying is that if someone's goal is purely to build muscle, there is no point in cutting from 15% to 10% to have a more efficient bulk - they'll be able to build muscle just as effectively within a 15-20% range (for example)?

So what you're saying is that if someone's goal is purely to build muscle, there is no point in cutting from 15% to 10% to have a more efficient bulk - they'll be able to build muscle just as effectively within a 15-20% range (for example)?

Supposedly you will not partition the calories quite as efficiently once you're over 15% but I'm not sure how drastic that difference is.

As someone who has started my bulk too early several times though I would diet further first. You'll end up 25% quickly if you start above 15%

People always say this: "you'll end up 25% quickly". I really think this depends on quite how aggressively you go at it. A sensible plan will give you many months worth of decent growth long before you hit the blubber zone